The End

Can I just say that I hate, hate, hate the end of summer!! The whole three months go by way too fast and there is just too much I want to do with my kids and time seems to just slip by until here we are again at the beginning of school. I love the lazy, carefree days of summer where we can go where we want and do what we want and stay up late and sleep in. I love, love, love spending time with my family of boys and feeling their joy as we participate in summer activities such as swimming, camping, exploring, etc. I think it is even better as a mom than it was for me as a kid. Probably because I appreciate each moment and realize how little time I have with them all being little. I have experienced pure joy this summer just watching them play together and listening to them laugh and talk about how much fun they are having. I hate it when it ends because I know it means we are one summer closer to my kids getting "too old" to hang out with their mom and closer to them growing up and being missionaries and husbands and fathers and leaving their poor mom to entertain herself. Okay, so maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but really, I do see how quickly this childhood thing goes by and I am determined to cherish every moment. (And document it all on this blog so I never forget)

So here are the things we did to celebrate this last week of summer. Monday night for family home evening, we hiked up Ensign Peak. It is a short, pretty easy hike, but the view of the city from the top is amazing.

Tuesday we went back for one more dip in the Herriman Reservoir. It was a perfect day spent with some friends from the ward.

(My body is just as white at the end of summer as it was at the beginning. I am the sunscreen Nazi)

Wednesday was a day spent at Lagoon thanks to my sister who got us free passes through her work. Mitchel got to take his friend Ethan.

Unfortunately there are no pictures to post of this last summer adventure thanks to the following two rides.

I took my oldest camera in a little camera case to wear around my neck. When I went to board the Jet Star II, I was told that I couldn't carry anything on the ride, even if it was secured around my body. So I had to get out of line and not ride. Well, I wasn't going to let the teenage workers at Lagoon keep me from getting some really cute pictures of all the fun we were having. So I took the camera out of the case and put it in my pocket. All was well and I got some great pictures of the kids in kiddie land and Mason and I on the Music Express. Then it was time to ride "Wicked."

Well there is a reason they tell you to leave all loose articles with a non rider. Half way through the ride, my camera fell out of my pocket and went who knows where. I didn't even realize it until the ride was over and it was gone. I'm not too upset about loosing the camera per say. It was old and didn't take the greatest of pictures and I actually took it in case something like that happened. But what I am upset about is loosing the few good pictures I had on it of our trip to Lagoon. Oh well. Just know that we had a great time and we loved it. My favorite part was riding the "Turn of the Century" with Max and we both put our arms and legs out and closed our eyes and pretended like we were flying. It was such a simple, carefree moment with my son and one of those living in the moment feelings. The other was riding the wooden roller coaster with Mitchel. He just yelled and laughed through the entire ride just like a nine year old should on a ride like that. My Mason moment was on the Music Express. Since he is still to short to ride a lot of the rides, every one else rode another ride and we rode this together. He was laughing and smiling the whole time and loved that the ride made him "squish" me. We were both grinning from ear to ear and hanging on for dear life. So fun!!!

The rest of the week was spent getting ready for school and cleaning the house. So this is the end of summer. I am so glad I have this blog that I can look back and read about and remember all the fun we've had together. My boys really are a joy for me to be with and I hate that I have to send them off to the care of someone else for 7 hours a day. But I also know that they will learn a lot a gain experiences that I could not give them at home. I am hoping that they will find joy in learning academic and social skills and that school will be a positive and uplifting experience for them. I hope I can teach them to get along without me and to figure out how to solve problems and how to deal with the "real world." I also hope they know that they are unconditionally loved by me and their dad and that no matter what things are said to them at school that home is the place where they are safe and where they are the most important, special person on the planet. I just want them to be happy and know who they are and that they are so important and amazing and smart and handsome and so full of potential. Good luck at school boys and know that I'll be here with hugs and kisses when you get home!